Facebook Reboots iOS App, Purportedly Performs Twice as Fast

Great news for Facebook fans who own an iOS device. You may have noticed in the past that Facebook hasn't always performed the way you would expect on your iPhone or iPad, and so Mark Zuckerberg's team of coders went back to the drawing board and retooled the mobile app with an eye towards speed. The newest release -- version 5.0 -- is supposed to be twice as fast as before, Facebook claims.

"Today we're announcing an update to the Facebook app for iPhone and iPad that makes keeping up with friends faster and easier. Facebook 5.0 for iOS is twice as fast as the previous version when launching the app, scrolling through news feed and opening photos in feed," Facebook said in a blog post.


According to Facebook, the latest release isn't just an update, it's a completely retooled version that was rebuilt from the ground up. Apps now open faster and your news feed and notifications load as soon as you open Facebook, the social networking site says.


We gave the new app a whirl on both devices and, well, it's definitely a marked improvement over older versions. Whereas previously scrolling would often be jittery, we didn't notice that behavior to be as pronounced during our quick look with the retooled version. Indeed, pictures load immediately, just as promised.

If you're an iOS user, this is the Facebook update you've been waiting for.